Local Couple Prepares for Busy Fish Sales by Good Friday

Good Friday has always been a major day for fish, as families nationwide either cook traditional meals at home or order takeout. 

During the coronavirus pandemic, that hasn’t changed, even though many families who usually gather for Easter have had to keep their distance. 

Similar to some butchers who’ve been putting in extra hours during the pandemic to meet the increased demand for meat, the need for fish has also surged. The stressful days spent navigating a global health crisis have left people craving comfort food more than ever before. 

This is why Matt and Meg Mc Taggart, who co-own Steelhead Food Co, are getting ready for one of their busiest days of the year. 

A worker processes Lake Erie perch at Steelhead Food Co. Perch and pickerel are the two most popular fish sold by the St Thomas, Ont., based business over the Easter weekend. (Colin Butler/ )

“It’s definitely one of the biggest fish days of the year,” said Matt Mc Taggart, noting that their St Thomas fish market expects around 400 customers over the next two days, purchasing up to 5,000 pounds of fish. 

An additional 15,000 pounds will go to restaurants and wholesalers, adding up to a total of 20,000 pounds (which weighs about as much as a garbage truck) from Wednesday through Friday. 

While some businesses are struggling during these times, the Mc Taggarts’ fish market has thrived due to what appears to be an increased interest in fish products prompted by the pandemic. 

“We’ve heard that across the board from grocery stores we supply too; demand for their products has just gone up since COVID. In that sense we’ve been really lucky,” said Meg Mc Taggart. 

“We’ve been extremely busy, which is not what we expected.” 

Meg and Mc Taggart are the husband and wife co-owners of Steelhead Food Co in St Thomas, one of only two fish wholesalers in southwestern Ontario. (Colin Butler/ )

With demand rising significantly, they’ve expanded their operations by hiring several employees and taking on fish processing work from a commercial fishing operation on Lake Erie. 

“We took on a boat and started packing huge quantities of lake products like perch and pickerel,” Meg Mc Taggart explained while emphasizing how grateful they’ve been for support from both retail and commercial customers throughout this challenging period.

“We obviously wouldn’t be here without any of those people. We’re really lucky to have survived this and flourished through it as well.” 

Steelhead Food Co has found demand for fish has risen during the pandemic, allowing the company to expand its fish processing operations. (Colin Butler/ )

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